Ambitions and Strategic Objectives

Prologue
Our ambitions and strategic objectives recognise Northumbria’s unique profile as a research-intensive university in the NE of England. We support a high proportion of widening participation UG students, alongside a rapidly growing population of overseas students. Northumbria’s strong regional identity is complemented by academics with research of global reach, alongside pedagogical excellence which includes authentic experiential learning through clinics and live projects.

Ambition
Our focus is upon co-generating and articulating Northumbria’s distinctive pedagogy, and how these promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.  With this focus we are creative, future-focused, self-empowered and courageous.  We strive to make a visible difference, influencing policy and practice, engendering positive change for students and colleagues through placing education at the heart of the University’s activities in synergy with research and external engagement.

Objectives
This ambition is achieved through interdisciplinary working, and we continuously horizon scan for:

  • Emerging innovation in education practice, nationally and internationally
  • Opportunities, such as awards and grants, to co-ordinate activities to contribute to, and raise the profile of the University’s educational expertise

Concurrently, we horizon scanning internally for:

  • Innovations and good practice to be more widely recognised, disseminated and celebrate
  • Motivating for and supporting enhancement initiatives and projects, including Northumbria Enhancement Grants and Distinguished Teaching Fellowships (NUDTF)

    Outcomes
    Through contributing to the University’s Education Strategy Objectives, nurturing, recognising and rewarding educational excellence internally we strive to instate Northumbria’s educational reputation inter/nationally.

    Partnership working for transformational learning

    • Working with students and alumni, industry, external organisations and other partners, service-users as co-producers to discern and extend a distinctive Northumbria pedagogy to engender transformational learning for students and our academics
    • Extending our external reputation and impact through supporting the dissemination of these transformational learning pedagogy/ies

    Partnership working for transformational learning

    • Working with students and alumni, industry, external organisations and other partners, service-users as co-producers to discern a distinctive Northumbria pedagogy and associated principles that will bring about transformational learning for both students and academics
    • Extending our external reputation and impact through supporting the dissemination of these transformational learning pedagogy/ies

    Recognising and rewarding educational excellence

    • Engaging with Northumbria Enhancement Project holders to enhance their impact within Northumbria but also to influence externally inter/nationally
    • Showcasing educational innovation and good practice across academic and professional support, disseminating externally to afford educational impact inter/nationally
    • Promoting and supporting a CATE and NTF pipeline and other awards to support individuals’ success and enhance the University’s educational reputation
    • Recognising and valuing education focused careers through supporting academic development, progression, and promotion, recommending policies and practices for supporting teaching, and for progression and promotion through educational excellence
    • Informing the CITE Celebration of Education
    • Informing the University Learning and Teaching Enhancement/Development programme

    Supporting pedagogic research scholarship

    • Supporting the development and submission of collaborative, cross-disciplinary (interdisciplinary) grant applications among our community
    • Informing pedagogical/educational research activities within our community

    Governance

    CITE Reference Group

    • Oversees the activities of, and outputs from, CITE
    • Supports policy and practice change emerging from CITE Learning Circle activities

    Learning Circles

    Learning Circles act as the focal point for the sharing of good practice and co-creation of educational initiatives, pedagogic/educational research and grant activity.  Our Learning Circles are:

    • Transformative Experiential Learning
    • Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education
    • Developing, supporting and recognising teaching and education
    • Co-enquiry and innovation with creative methods
    • Students as partners in higher education
    • Building inclusive cultures for confident student transitions into and through Higher Education